Editor’s Note: This article is part of a Utah and US history series for the Historical section of KSL.com.
SALT LAKE CITY – When a 5.7 magnitude earthquake rattled the Wasatch Front last year, it literally hit the heart of Utah’s history.
The earthquake caused so much damage that the 110-year-old Rio Grande Depot, home to the Utah Division of State History and the state’s historical archives, was closed because the building was considered unsafe. Even a year later, the building remains largely closed due to the damage.
Nearly 150 historic buildings in Salt Lake County were damaged in the earthquake. Of those, only one was severe enough to be demolished, said Chris Merritt, Utah historic preservation officer. But the earthquake was an important reminder that there are many historic buildings and homes that are at high risk the day the next major earthquake hits the area.
That’s why conservation and geology experts gathered Thursday night to hold a virtual chat that summarized the damage from a year ago and discussed ways to make sure the next big earthquake isn’t as destructive – or in any case. if this is not the worst case scenario.
“We have to keep having a conversation … We have to have this conversation more than once a year,” Merritt said as he sat in his office in Rio Grande Depot. The wall behind him still has large visible cracks from the earthquake.
“We need a coordinated, unified and strategic way to save as many of these buildings as possible so that private businesses and homeowners can all find ways to preserve these really cool bits of our past.”
The damage that occurred a year ago
After the March 18, 2020 earthquake, the Utah State Historic Preservation Office conducted reviews of historic buildings in the key areas likely to be affected. That included areas like Magna, near the earthquake’s epicenter, as well as Salt Lake City’s more historic construction sites, such as the Hardware District and the Liberty Wells neighborhood.
The agency’s preliminary report prepared within two weeks of the earthquake identified nearly 145 buildings that were either designated or eligible for historic status that suffered damage from the earthquake. The list included some well-known structures in the county, such as the Madeleine Cathedral, Crane Building, Fisher Manson, Rio Grande Depot, the Salt Lake City-County Building, the Salt Lake Temple, and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.
The most common damage they encountered was to chimneys. The damage to an apartment complex they encountered in downtown Salt Lake City was so severe that they notified outside authorities of the security risk. Other common damage included cracks in brick or adobe structures. The roofs of some of the most affected buildings have also collapsed.
Only one recognized historical structure could not be saved. The damage to the Septimus Sears House in 1902 S. 400 East in Liberty Wells was so great that the homeowner decided to tear it down, Merritt said. Built in 1896, the house was considered one of the oldest surviving homes in the neighborhood.
“This is the story I don’t want to let happen,” he added. “I don’t want to lose any more historical structures.”
Ongoing risks for historic buildings
As big as the Magna earthquake was, a larger earthquake is expected to do much worse damage.
For example, a document from the Envision Utah organization estimated that approximately 60,000 buildings in the four counties of Wasatch Front would be destroyed in earthquakes of 7.0 or more; about 95% of those structures were in Salt Lake County. Another nearly 36,000 buildings would sustain extensive damage.
One of the main reasons so many structures are endangered is that the great earthquake hazard wasn’t really known until the mid-1970s, Envision Utah noted. Many of the buildings before that were not built for earthquakes. Salt Lake County is more prone to widespread damage because more homes and businesses are located there.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency released a new report on the matter on the earthquake’s one-year anniversary. The report said on Thursday that there were about 140,000 structures in the state that could bear the risk of major earthquake damage because the buildings “do not contain the reinforcing steel required by modern building codes.”
“They encompass a wide variety of buildings, from individual residences to businesses, to schools and places of worship,” the agency wrote in a statement. “Such structures can more easily succumb to the movement and shaking during an earthquake, posing a threat to both the building’s occupants and individuals outside in close proximity to the structures.”
A damaging earthquake in the Wasatch Front fault zone would significantly affect the state, region and country for years to come.
–Steve Bowman, geologist with the Utah Geological Survey
This is in addition to critical infrastructures such as water, gas and petroleum pipelines and broadband connections in the region. The projections call for billions of dollars in damage costs and even more economic losses.
“A damaging earthquake in the Wasatch Front fault zone would significantly affect the state, region and country for years to come,” said Steve Bowman, a geologist with the Utah Geological Survey.
While speakers at the event on Thursday acknowledged the lingering risk of an enviably major earthquake, they also pointed out that there are ways to mitigate the effects of a catastrophic earthquake.
“One thing people really need to recognize is that we can prepare for and deal with these dangers,” added Bowman. “We shouldn’t be afraid of them. We just have to recognize them, get together and deal with them.”
Finding solutions to save historic buildings, including homes
Fix the Bricks in Salt Lake City, in partnership with FEMA, is one of the best examples of recent programs aimed at retrofitting and remediating older homes at risk for serious earthquake damage. Experts found that homes that underwent the program fared well even after last year’s earthquake.
But it is also a relatively small local program with a growing waiting list. Magna councilor Greg Schultz said it is a program that needs to be expanded not just to other at-risk communities, but to more people in general to rehabilitate more homes faster and reduce the impact of the next major earthquake. .
“We don’t believe FEMA knows how big Fix the Bricks must be in this state,” he said. “I can tell you on Magna Main Street, I cannot point to a building that does not need any reinforcement of its fascia to keep it from being damaged or destroyed in the next earthquake. The other challenge we have here is one. significant number of unreinforced masonry houses. “
Schultz said it’s not just federal money, it’s something the state legislature could give extra money for. It’s also something that public-private partnerships could help provide funding.
“We should try to pull every lever we can to make sure we keep things rolling,” he added.
Merritt agreed that it was a program that needed to be expanded because so many buildings are at risk, especially in Salt Lake County.
One of the biggest issues that are off the long waiting list for Fix the Bricks is that many residents are unaware that their homes are at risk for major damage, Schultz said. In addition, many residents may not be able to afford retrofitting costs.
Recent efforts have been made to ensure safety during earthquakes. HB 366, sponsored by Rep. Clare Collard, D-Magna, was introduced at the legislative session earlier this year. It was intended to require the Utah Seismic Safety Commission to “develop guides and videos for homeowners regarding the earthquake-related risks of unreinforced masonry homes.”
More specifically, it would educate homeowners to know if they have an “unreinforced masonry home” and expand information on how to renovate their home and reduce the risk of serious damage or destruction from a major earthquake. The bill failed a House vote earlier this year, 26-41.
An argument against the bill ahead of the Feb. 24 vote was that videos already existed online on how to deal with unreinforced masonry homes. Collard then argued that if residents didn’t know about the problem, they wouldn’t be looking for the videos.
We have to do something really good, take preventive measures. … The next earthquake could be tomorrow and we can’t sit back and wait.
–Chris Merritt, Utah Historic Preservation Officer
Collard attended the virtual meeting on Thursday to discuss the failed attempt. She said many of her colleagues were aware of and concerned about the issue “but did not see its urgency”. She said residents could just move, but given the housing shortage and affordability issues in the state, many just can’t. And if a resident could move, they would just pass the baton to another person who would be at risk for a major earthquake.
“The houses will always be occupied anyway, and usually these residents don’t have the funding to just modify their homes, so we know we have to work on that,” Collard said, pointing out that they will fix the problem again later. would bring up. this year with a bill that could expand Fix the Bricks statewide.
The FEMA report released Thursday contained five recommendations, including new customization programs and changes to codes.
Earthquake insurance is another thing that is heavily promoted. While not at the meeting, the Salt Lake County Emergency Management Bureau tweeted Thursday that it is important for people to look around for earthquake insurance quotes.
“Most people get a horrible quote the first time and give up,” the agency tweeted. “Shop around for earthquake insurance.”
While the topic may not seem like an urgent issue right now, experts were quick to point out on Thursday that no one knows when “the big one” will strike. All that is known is that historical patterns suggest it will likely happen over the next few decades. The Magna earthquake reminded us of the unpredictability of the situation.
But that also leaves an unknown timeframe to complete the adjustment to mitigate the impact of a major earthquake. That is why experts argued that it is important to get started on as many buildings as possible now, instead of waiting.
“We have to do something really good, take preventative action,” said Merritt. “The next earthquake could be tomorrow, and we can’t sit back and postpone.”